Past Regular Meetings and Special Events

Saturday December 8, 2018Jane Austen Birthdy Tea
The afternoon included a visual presenentation by Jennifer Le Blanc,
actress and playwright, who adapted Jane Austen's Persuasion for stage.
It was produced and performed by the San Jose Stage Company, Acacia
Theatre Company, The Ross Valley Players, and Livermore Shakespeare
Festival. This was followed by our very own, Rachel Dodge,
where we learned more about her recently released book, Praying with
Jane. During out tea harpist Alanna O'Neill performed Regency-era music.

Saturday October 6, 2018Rachel Dodgespoke about her new book,Praying with Jane,
which gave us an in depth look at Jane's spiritual side, including her
prayers, touching biographical anecdotes, intimate excerpts from family
letters and illuminating scenes from her novels.

Nina Edmondson, our Regional Coordinator, in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Persuasion, gave us a presentation on"The Hidden Captain Wentworth". She
showed how Jane Austen's knowledge of the British Navy through her
brothers allowed her to create such a realistic character as Captain
Wentworth.

Saturday June 23, 2018Claire
Bellanti, president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, gave
an illustrated talk, "You Can Get a Parasol at Whitby's:
Circulating Libraries in Jane Austen's time. References to Jane
Austen's novels and letters showed how central circulating libraries
were in the reading and sharing of books in Regency England.

Saturday,
March 24, 2018
We had an AGM review from members who were able to attend and by
popular demand we played more parlor games.

Saturday, December 2, 2017Jane
Austen
Birthday Tea
** Special Event **
Our birthday celebration
included afternoon tea followed
by an outstanding and lively talk by David Bell about music in Jane's
life and novels. Soprano Sarah Messbauer accompanied by Carol Hess at
the baby grand piano beautifully performed a selection of Jane's
favorites. We were taken away by the music to the point where it seemed
as if Jane were in the room with us.

Saturday, September 16, 2017
Regency Card PartyParlor Pastimes were the focus of our September
meeting. Members
of the Reading Group presented on all of the references to games in
Austen's novels, many more than most of us realized. This was followed
with lessons in playing Whist, Loo and Speculation. We had so much fun
we're going to play again in March!

Saturday,
March 4, 2017Corrie
Jacobs, English literature graduate student, presented her
2015 JASNA Graduate Division winning essay, The "Great Talker": Spinster
Sterotypes from Emma. We learned what a
pivotal role characters like Miss Bates play in eighteenth century
novels.

We had wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jane Austen 241
years ago. Dr. Alessa Johns gave us a deeper insight in to
Jane’s
“elastic cheerful” qualities as described by her brother, Henry.We also learned what
characters in Austen’s
novels showed “elastic cheerful” qualities.Jane would have been delighted with the afternoon tea;
the scones were
perfect. We had lots of fun with the quiz created by Louise
and Megan O’Carroll.

Saturday,
September 10, 2016Diana
King gave us an overview of medical practices in Jane Austen's day and
shared her collection of medical instruments that would have been used
at that time. We also had a lively discussion on whether Emma deserved
Mr. Knightly.

Saturday,
June 4, 2016Elizabeth
Ware and Jim Rathesberger showed up pictures from the JASNA tour they
took last summer. The tour included visits to houses, towns and cities
that shaped Jane Austen's life and fiction, including Steventon,
Chawton, Bath, Portsmout, Lyme Regis, and Winchester.

Saturday,
March 19, 2016Anna
Morton presented her winning essay for the
Jackie Johnson Memorial AGM Scholarship. Anna’s essay included Austen's
social
commentary behind Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield
Park
and discussed whether or not she came to any conclusions on the social
issues
and morals prevalent in her day.

Annual General Meeting Panel: Members
who attended the AGM in Louisville shared their experiences with those
of us
who were unable to attend.

Saturday,
December 5, 2015:
Jane Austen's Birthday Celebration Afternoon TeaWe
had wonderful time celebrating the birth of
Jane Austen 240 years ago.Jane
would
have been delighted with the afternoon tea; the scones were perfect.We had lots of fun with the quiz created by Louise
and Megan
O’Carroll.Iris
Lutz enlightened us with
a visual tour of houses Jane Austen lived in or visited and went
further by
pairing pictures of real houses with descriptions in her novels.

Saturday,
September 19, 2015: "What if Dolley Madison had been a
Janeite?"
Linda Griffiths-Gish
gave a presentation on what was
going on in America during Jane Austen's life. Linda showed the
similarities
and differences of American and British cultures especial with
religion,
property ownership, class position and wealth.

Saturday,
June 6, 2015: "Jane
Austen, from Childhood to Daily Tea".
Lisa Pliscou talked about her new book Jane Austen: Becoming a Writer,
and we discussed what we can learn about her childhood from modern
psychology and neurobiology.
Lynn Ossolinski gave us insight into Jane's daily ritual of making tea
and the role it plays in novels.

Saturday,
March 7, 2015: "Jane Austen and Slavery"Krisi Brown, Folsom Lake College English instructor,
focused on what we can discern about Jane
Austen's attitude toward slavery. This was based on the historical
context in
which she wrote, the biographical context of her life, and the textual
evidence she left behind, particularly in Mansfield Park.

Saturday,
December 6, 2014: "Jane Austen's Birthday Celebration Afternoon Tea"
Kathryn
Zupsic, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco docent, delighted everyone
with her presentation on "The World of Jane Austen: Art and Culture in
18th and 19th Century
Britain".

Saturday,
September 13, 2014:
"Waiting
for the Post"Letters
were essential in Jane Austen's novels and in her own life. Members
learned how the Royal Mail operated and prepared their own letter
suitable for
mailing. A readers theater presentation, "In Her Own Words",
was drawn
from Austen's letters.

Saturday,
June 7, 2014: "Why Mansfield
Park is better than Pride
and Prejudice"
Retired Sac State Professor David Bell and Community College Instructor
Rachel Dodge made a compelling case of "Why Mansfield Park is
better than Pride and
Prejudice."
P&P is a delightfully clever yarn written by a young woman.
M.P. is
the work of a mature woman at the height of her literary powers.
P&P shows life as we'd like it, M.P. shows life as it
is.